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Adult Education

Animated image depicting the themes of upskill your employees, training, high school equivalency, and english as a second language

Do your employees need a high school equivalency?

Do your employees' skills need upgrading?

Has a language barrier impacted your employees’ ability to excel?

How have others succeeded?

Recent U.S. government surveys estimate that about 45 percent of all adults participate in some type of course during a given year. President Johnson’s Economic Opportunity Act (1964) provided impetus for the Federal Government to work with states to expand adult education opportunities

Ben Franklin founded one of the first adult education programs, and organizations in American History in 1727. This new organization was called the Junto.

The Federal Government got involved in the educational process and enacted the Smith-Lever Act(s) in 1914.  These acts provided funding for training in the area(s) of farming, home economics and vocations.

Approximately 200 local/regional chambers of commerce throughout the state promote networking and local business activity.

High School Equivalency

Only skills that employees need for success on the job and for advanced training are targeted.

Flexible schedules compliment work shifts to meet production demands.

Instruction and occupational skills training may include both in-person and virtual depending on need.

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Upgrade your employees' skills

Do employees need to upgrade skills? Yes, only five percent of Hoosiers who enter adult education have “high school” skills. Individuals who attend adult education are already in the work pipeline – about 50 percent are aged 25-44 years old.

Upgrading basic skills and a high school credential are first steps – occupational skills training then follows.

Community partnerships assist with transportation and childcare when possible.

Adult education creates entry-level competencies and employer-driven instruction to develop a pipeline of skilled employees.

Curriculum addresses safety, incumbent worker training, and soft skills, including punctuality, teamwork, and problem solving.

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Removing language barrier

Adult education provides English Language Learner (ELL) instruction for immigrant employees.

English proficient adults achieve greater competence in speaking, reading, listening, and writing the English language.

Training is designed around workplace safety, quality control, and production.

Benefits include improved communication between supervisors and team members.

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Success Stories

Nadia McNish

Nadia McNish arrived in the United States 20 years ago from Jamaica with a high school diploma that proved mostly worthless to American employers.

Following a string of challenges, including homelessness, McNish ultimately earned her high school equivalency (HSE) from the Broadview Learning Center in Bloomington, Indiana. The program is part of the DWD Adult Education network, where Hoosiers like McNish can earn their high school diploma or equivalency.

Receiving her HSE was just the push McNish needed to pursue a career. She is set to graduate in May with a Master of Social Work from the Indiana University School of Social Work in Bloomington, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2020. McNish also is a practicing intern at Bloomington Meadows Hospital as a clinical therapist.

Ramiza Rizvic

Ramiza Rizvic left war-torn Bosnia for the United States with her husband and two young daughters in 1999, unable to speak much English at all.

They settled in Fort Wayne, where her husband’s two brothers had come before them to escape the carnage. Rizvic landed a job at National Plastics Corp. in Fort Wayne and was there for seven years before being laid off in 2014.

For Rizvic, every year her English skills improved and, in 2016, she started High School Equivalency classes through DWD’s Adult Education program. Rizvic graduated in 2017 but continued her education beyond the HSE. She completed classes to become certified as a clinical medical assistant.

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